


let it bring you back around

by Anonymous



Series: it's inevitable, baby [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: M/M, max simp watch 2k20, nail varnish, sappy nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25630957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Max paints Lando's nails because he Likes Him. That's basically it.
Relationships: Lando Norris/Max Verstappen
Series: it's inevitable, baby [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861756
Comments: 10
Kudos: 134
Collections: Anonymous





	let it bring you back around

**Author's Note:**

> couldn't stop thinking about nail varnish Lando, this happened

It’s mesmerising, the way the gloss goes on - how delicately Max is holding his hand, concentrating on the work as he picks up Lando’s index finger, puts the brush back in the tiny bottle and reaches for the next, then stops, fingers stroking at the air.

“Which colour next?” Max’s hair is falling into his eyes, where he’s looking into Lando’s with a sort of sincerity that’s almost frightening. 

He avoids thinking about it by looking back down, at the sparkling, neon pink coating his thumbnail. Lando had kind of assumed Max would just do them all the same, when he’d asked if he could - he’s never had his nails done, before but apparently Max used to do Viktoria’s or something and Lando’s terrible at saying no to him. 

“Red? Like a rainbow?” Max grins, something childish in it and Lando can’t help himself smiling back because as much as Max openly indulges him, he’s just as gone on him in reverse.

Max unscrews the bottle with his teeth, not letting go of Lando’s hand and it’s stupid - who wants to risk getting nail varnish in their mouth? But it’s also the kind of fondness that’s nearly unbearable. Lando shouldn’t feel this way about  _ Max Verstappen,  _ for fuck’s sake, he’s supposed to be an arsehole and is, to pretty much everyone else.

The red glitter is brassy, Christmassy and so primary coloured it looks like kids’ paints, Max meticulously slicking on a double coating to make it brighter. “You’re good at this.”

Max does his most breathless laugh, half-swallowing it and grinning again, “Like I said, I used to do it for my sister - she always made a mess of it and got it all over her fingers so I’d fix it for her.”

Of  _ course  _ Max had to be good at everything, even painting nails - even though Lando’s literally never heard him care about it before. He doesn’t know why he says “It’s like car paint.”

Max smiles while he’s looking away, picking up the orange varnish and switching over the finger he’s holding. His voice is gentler, reedier than usual when he sighs out a reply, “Yeah, just giving you a matching livery to your halo.”

This feels more intimate than it is, really, sitting in the Wing waiting for some filming bullshit. They probably shouldn’t be doing it at all but the varnishes were sitting out on the table and Max had looked so delighted, like he was being transported somewhere else completely and Lando maybe just went along with him. 

“It’s pretty,” Lando tilts his thumb, admiring the way the light glints off it, casting pink motes across the grey plastic of the table.

Max huffs, “This is shit stuff, I’ll do it with proper colours if you like it. You could have neon green and black, it’d look cool.”

That actually does sound cool, as Max drops his hand to unscrew the green pot, the lid too stuck for teeth. Lando likes the way his left hand looks, coloured tips elegant and neat, whatever Max says about the varnish, he could definitely be into neat, neon designs to match his helmet.

When Max picks his ring finger up, Lando has a funny moment. It’s an ultra-intimate gesture, somehow and he wasn’t ready for it, almost panics that Max is actually going to put a ring on him even though he’s very obviously holding the brush-cap and it’s lucky Max isn’t looking at him while he’s blushing sunburn-pink at the way it makes his stomach flutter.

“Are you free tonight?” Max shakes his head ruefully without looking up, concentrating on perfectly coating Lando’s nail.

“Nah, Christian’s got us going to some dinner with Tories and Alex can’t do it.” Lando tries not to think too hard about  _ why  _ Alex can’t do it because clenching his fists right now would really muck up all Max’s hard work. 

“Oh. That’s a shame.” Lando reaches out the orange nail to rub it down Max’s finger.

Max rubs back, reaching for the last bottle of varnish with his other hand, “Why? Will you miss me? Can’t wait one night for me to fuck you?”

His tone is light, teasing but Lando’s breath catches. No, he can’t, alright? He’s already had to wait most of the year away, “Well, no.  _ Max. _ ”

It’s cheating to put some of the tone he knows he uses when they’re in bed into it but fuck getting cockblocked by the government  _ again,  _ there’s been way too much of that this year already.

He doesn’t get a reply until Max is finished with his little finger, turning the nail a bright sky blue that’s shot through with silver squares of glitter. “Alright, well, I’ll drive back to yours.”

Lando can’t help grinning, stretching out his fingers to admire his own hand although the smile’s entirely for Max. “Cool.”

Later, when his engineer asks about the nail varnish, he just mumbles something about pride and says he’ll take it off before tomorrow. Definitely doesn’t completely forget because Max nearly makes them both late with some very distracting morning routine ideas that have him a lot more worried about not looking like he’s totally flushed and glowing than whether he’s got multicoloured nails. And anyway, he is proud of both. 

  
  



End file.
